They Would Not Hear

Alma 21:5-10

"5 Therefore, as Aaron entered into one of their synagogues to preach unto the people, and as he was speaking unto them, behold there arose an Amalekite and began to contend with him, saying: What is that thou hast testified? Hast thou seen an angel? Why do not angels appear unto us? Behold care not this people as good as thy people?
6 Thou also sayest, except we repent we shall perish. How knowest thou the thought and intent of our hearts? How knowest thou that we have cause to repent? How knowest thou that we are not a righteous people? Behold, we have built sanctuaries, and we do assemble ourselves together to worship God. We do believe that God will save all men.
7 Now Aaron said unto him: Believest thou that the Son of God shall come to redeem mankind from their sins?
8 And the man said unto him: We do not believe that thou knowest any such thing. We do not believe in these foolish traditions. We do not believe that thou knowest of things to come, neither do we believe that thy fathers and also that our fathers did know concerning the things which they spake, of that which is to come.
9. now Aaron began to open the scriptures unto them concerning the coming of Christ, and also concerning the resurrection of the dead, and that there could be no redemption for mankind save it were through the death and suffering of Christ, and the atonement of his blood.
10. And it came to pass as he began to expound these things unto them they were angry with him, and began to mock him; and they would not hear the words which he spake"



5- "Those who will not hear the word of God as preached by one such as Aaron will not hear it if preached by one who has come back from the dead. The issue is the message, not the messenger. DCBM, 3:152)
6- He is defensive. Which only proves Aaron's point. They are hard hearted and argumentative. The guilty take the truth to be hard.
7-8: They do not believe in Jesus Christ or the principle of revelation.
9-10: They chose to ignore him because if he were right, then they were wrong and would have to change. What do people do when they feel uncomfortable? Often they make a joke of it to lighten the situation or deflect the pressure. They Mock Aaron to take the focus off themselves.


This happens in daily life, to each of us I think. Maybe not in such a drastic way- we aren't usually calling people to repentance but it happens. Maybe we turn off an inappropriate song or movie, or we dress more modestly than those around us- living your personal standards can make others feel uncomfortable. Especially if they know they should be living the same standards. So to remove some guilt they will try and get you to feel that YOU are in the wrong. They will mock you so that you either change your standards or go away- either accomplishes the goal- THEY don't have to change and they no longer feel uncomfortable. I have, I'm ashamed to admit, been on both sides of this fence. But as I gain a greater understanding of my Savior Jesus Christ and his plan for each of us, I also gain a greater understanding of others and of myself. I am less inclined to pass judgement on others and more inclined to see my own faults and shortcomings. We are all a work in progress I guess.

Abound in Good Works

Alma Chapter 7:


2: "And even I could not have come now at this time were it not that the judgement-seat hath been given to another, to reign in my stead; and that Lord in much mercy hath granted that I should come unto you"

Doesn't seem earth shattering does it? it probably isn't but it stood out to me. You see I am someone who gets caught up in getting things done. In taking care of business. Sometimes I get so caught up in the administration of things that I don't have time for the ministering. I get so stuck on the things that need to be done that I forget about the people who need to be helped. So I relate to what Alma is saying. He couldn't teach the people himself because he was doing his job. Which was a good thing, but not necessarily the best. (see reference here) He weights what the Lord wants him to do, delegate his responsibilities, and goes out to teach the people. He gives up a high government job to preach of Jesus Christ. Sometime the leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints choose to do. Also young men and women and senior couples do the same things- they leave everything to preach the gospel to those who are willing to listen. Amazing. Alms chooses the Best option and thanks God for allowing him the opportunity.


12: "And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities."


I have always loved this scripture. It talks of Christ suffering and the reason for it. He who was perfect suffered that he can comfort each of us. He is the only one who truly understands how to heal because He has felt all pain. There is nothing he does not understand.


24: And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works.


"Hope is critical to both faith and charity. When disobedience, disappointment, and procrastination erode faith, hope is there to uphold our faith. When frustration and impatience challenge charity, hope braces our resolve and urges us to care for our fellowmen even without expectation of reward. The brighter our hope, the greater our faith. The stronger our hope, the purer our charity." Dieter F. Uchtdorf (The Infinite Power of Hope)


"The things we hope for lead us to faith, while the things we hope in lead us to charity. The three qualities—faith, hope, and charity—working together, grounded on the truth and light of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, lead us to abound in good works"


This chapter teaches of Jesus Christ, His mercy and His love. This chapter gives me hope to face the future to know that "Present circumstances will give way to future blessings"

We See Through a Glass Darkly

1 Corinthians 13:12

"For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face; now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known"

Glass=mirror

Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror in the dark? You can only see an outline really. You know you are there, you have an idea of what you should be seeing but its not completely clear. Then you turn on the light, or in this case, lift the veil and then you can see all things clearly, as they truly are.

I love this scripture. We know in part- we have only a fraction of the knowledge of who we are and who we can become. We do not see ourselves and others as God sees each of us. Once we pass through the veil we will know all things, we will see others and ourselves at our highest potential...we will know others and ourselves as God knows each one of us. We will see all we are- and then will we look back and say, "yes I did everything I could to reach my divine potential" or will we look back in sorrow asking ourselves why we sold ourselves short. Or why we didn't treat those around us with the respect and admiration they deserved.

Each of us has incredible potential- I know I forget this sometimes. But this scripture helps me to remember that I can't see everything as clearly as my Father in Heaven sees it-It helps me to remember that each person, including myself, is a child of God-heir to his kingdom and capable of great things!!

He goes on in vs 14 to say,

"And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity"

Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God. The souls of those around us, and the one inside each of us. We will see ourselves on day as God sees us- And I hope, for each one of us, that it is a happy day with no regret!